


The Good Witch Azura Book Club

by wabisabi_komorebi



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, but really it's more like...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:00:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24750463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wabisabi_komorebi/pseuds/wabisabi_komorebi
Summary: Amity doesn't quite understand Luz (and vice versa), but even if they're from different worlds, they both navigate the same strange maze of teenage Feelings. A story told in three parts: a sleepover, a sort-of-prom night, and the formation of The Good Witch Azura Book Club.[Takes place after the recently released episode "Adventures in the Elements" and assumes Luz has already entered Hexside]
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Comments: 17
Kudos: 126





	The Good Witch Azura Book Club

**Author's Note:**

> Hullo everyone, PJ here! ^_^)// I haven't written a fic in an incredibly long period of time, but I'm dusting up my AO3 account for these two cute dorks (I've been shipping them since "Lost in Language", but god their relationship development in "Adventures in the Elements" really sealed the deal). I planned each of the three parts to act as vignettes which *could* be taken as seperate oneshots (because I don't really know how fast I'll go in finishing the second and third parts + I don't want to leave people hanging), but they're actually meant to form a whole story with continuity. 
> 
> Comments and kudos are welcomed and appreciated, I'd love to meet people from the fandom! You can find me on tumblr as @afflatusssss (5 S's, sorry it's quite a mouthful).

If Amity went back in time to tell her past-self that her life would never be the same because of a human, she’d wouldn’t believe it. She still couldn’t believe she was standing on the front doorstep of the Owl House, home of one of the most powerful witches in the Boiling Isles and...well, Luz. The enigma who’s been driving her crazy, because Amity always figures things out. She’s always one step ahead of everyone else, and that’s mostly because she turns to logic to understand things, and when you understand things, it means you have some control over them. Amity cherished the control she had over most things in her life.

Yet here she was, trying not to run away from Hooty, who hadn’t stopped talking since she arrived and knocked on the door. All because she accepted Luz’s invite to a sleepover, and she hated how she couldn’t think of a rationale for it.

“OOOOHHHH I CAN TELL WE’LL BE BESTIES! Wanna hear a funny joke? OOH OR A FUNNY STORY? I HAVE PLENTY OF FUNNY STORIESSSS HOOTY HOO!!!” Hooty’s head spun around, his eyes squinting in inexorable glee. “THERE WAS THIS ONE TIM—”

“AMITY!” Luz had opened the door with a big goofy smile on her face. Her eyes widened as if she realized something, and she proceeded to clear her throat, leaning against the doorframe in a failed attempt at quelling her signature enthusiasm with an air of calmness. “I mean, uh, Amity. Hey. Glad you decided to come.”

Amity shifted her stance, rubbing the side of her arm with one hand. “Erm, yeah. I mean, you invited me. I just...didn’t want to be rude.”  
Luz couldn’t keep her cool for very long, and that big goofy smile found its way back to her face. “Yeah, but you took the time to actually accept the invite and spend the night here with us! I appreciate it.”

“Well, aren’t you gonna let me in? Or do I have to stay and listen to more of Hooty’s chattering?” Amity asked, giving a small smile just to signal that she was saying this all in good humor.

“Oh, right! Come on in,” Luz made some room for Amity to enter before giving a theatrical bow.

Amity couldn’t understand Luz, or anything that would happen to her whenever she was around. Sure, she was thinking about how Luz had an affinity for getting her into trouble (whether she was in school or outside of it), but she was also thinking about the other strange things that have been happening. She was thinking about how her feet would have a mind of their own, somehow gravitating to where Luz would be, never close enough for her to notice; just near enough for Amity to see a smile on her face and hear her silly laugh when Gus would crack a joke. Just enough to see that look of determination on Luz’s face when she scribbles a spell glyph onto paper. She was also thinking about how her guts would churn and do flips in a way that felt different from a run-of-the-mill stomach ache whenever Luz would glance at her, give a friendly wave, or do something dorky like bowing while welcoming Amity into her home.

“EDA! KING! AMITY IS HERE, C’MON OUT SO I CAN PROPERLY INTRODUCE YOU GUYS!” Luz called out. She turned to Amity and gave a thumbs up.

“ALRIGHT KIDDO, WE’RE COMING! Jeez, so much for my afternoon beauty sleep.” The voice of an older woman echoed from the staircase, followed by a squeaky and snappy one.

“THIS BETTER BE QUICK LUZ, I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAINING MY DEMONIC ARMY!”

“Does everyone in this house just shout to communicate?” Amity muttered under her breath, eyes still glued on the staircase as she waited for the sources of the voices to climb down.

A familiar lady descended the staircase, a sleeping mask perched on her disheveled gray hair. She was holding a mug that had the words “#1 Bad Girl” in white print. Another smaller figure trailed after her, clambering down with four feet. Amity recognized both figures from the Covention, and remembered seeing the infamous Owl Lady a few times afterwards too.

“Eda, this is Amity. Amity, Eda. King, Amity. Amity, King.” Luz made the introductions quick, gesturing from one person to another.

“Wait a sec, isn’t she the girl who bullied you back at the Covention?” King asked, pointing a claw at Amity, “AND SHE SQUASHED MY BEAUTIFUL CUPCAKE!”

“Pssshh, that was all in the past. We’re okay now! She even accepted my invite.” Luz said, waving her hands around. “Anyways, I just wanted to make the proper introductions. You can go back to napping, or y’know, training your adorable army of stuffed toys.”

“THEY’RE NOT STUFFED TOYS, THEY’RE MY DEMONIC MINIONS!” King exclaimed while stomping his feet.

“Alright King Squeaker, pipe it down. Let’s let the kids do their weird teenage stuff. Just make sure you don’t burn the house, and we should be fine.” Eda gave Luz and Amity a wink before lifting King and carrying him up the staircase.

“That’s my weird family!” Luz said, her chest puffed out with pride. “Takes some getting used to, but they’re the best.”

“Yeah, they seem cool…” Amity trailed off, eyebrows furrowed, her mind still stuck on something King had said. _Bullied._ She recalled the night Luz had snuck out with Edric and Emira, and how she found her diary. All those private and intimate pages she was always too wary to entrust to anyone else, all of them under the threat of being exposed just because her siblings wanted to get back at her integrity.

She expected as much from them, but seeing Luz hunched over and collecting the pages—knowing that she heard her thoughts—it made her stomach twist like crazy. She thought it was the anger. Amity remembered those words she said: _You’re a bully, Luz_. Maybe there was some disappointment mixed into it, but she couldn’t understand why. Why did she expect more from Luz, after all the trouble she put her through? The more she thought about it, the worse she felt. Amity didn’t have a clean slate, either. She knew she had the tendency to scratch and bite on instinct, to protect herself so she wouldn’t feel so defenseless. She didn’t want to feel weak, not after working so hard to reach the top. Now everytime she looked at Luz and her enthusiastic smile, Amity felt a sense of shame and wondered if she always needed to scratch and bite. _You lost! You cheated! Say it! Say you’re not a witch!_ She remembered how hurt Luz looked, her eyes wide and teary.

“Hey, Amity?” Luz’s voice broke through her thoughts. “You okay? You kinda just,” Luz made a circular gesture with her hand, “Wooshed away and zoned out.”

“Yeah. Uh, listen, Luz. I...I’m not very good at this, but I just wanted to say...I’m s—”

“HOOTY HOO, WE’VE GOT MORE FRIENDS! YIPEE! MORE PEOPLE I CAN REGALE WITH TALES OF MY EXPLOITS!” Hooty’s voice cut through Amity’s sentence, ringing across the room.

“Ah, hold that thought, let me just get this first. That must be Willow and Gus,” Luz gave Amity an apologetic smile before moving towards the door. As it opened, Luz was immediately ambushed by two pairs of arms hugging her and a lot of excited squealing. “SLEEPOVER TIME!”

More shouting. One thing Amity needed to get used to whenever things involved Luz.

The squealing soon simmered down to a quiet once Gus and Willow realized that Amity was there. She didn’t really know what to say. She remembered how mean she was to them, especially Willow. Amity expected dirty glares. Maybe Willow would get back at her, throw some insults for all the times she did.

“Woah, it’s Amity!” Gus spoke up first, his eyes wide with surprise.

Willow and Luz exchanged some looks in a kind of silent conversation. Willow smiled, and Amity was surprised to see that it was genuine. “Well, I’m glad you decided to join us. To be honest, I wasn’t really expecting you to, but you proved me wrong.” She walked up to Amity, offering her hand. “Let’s have some fun, yeah? You’re with the weirdos now.”

Amity was speechless, so she simply took Willow’s hand and gave it a weak shake. None of this seemed to make any sense. Shouldn’t they be convincing Luz that she’s no good? Shouldn’t they be kicking her out of the house? She felt a hand on her shoulder and saw that it was Luz, a single dimple etched on the side of her mouth. Amity felt like crying, but she didn’t know why. She also felt very warm, but she couldn’t quite explain that either.

They all moved into Luz’s room, which was not very roomy, but Amity thought it looked cozy in its own way. At the very least, she could tell Luz had tried to make a home out of it. There were _The Good Witch Azura_ books strewn across the floor, a futon with some pillows scattered here and there, and a sketchbook with pencils on top of it. It wasn’t much—she could tell the room wasn’t originally made to be a bedroom—but it imbibed a fair amount of Luz’s personality.

Gus and Willow casually dropped their bags on the floor, so Amity followed suit. She figured it would be best to try and observe how Luz and her friends acted, so she could somehow assimilate.

“So, what should we do first?” Luz asked before sitting down on her futon.

“I guess we could play a game to get things going,” Gus said, rubbing his hands together. “I mean, what do humans usually do in sleepovers?”

“We play games, too. So that sounds like a pretty good idea. Maybe we can have a pillow fight later!” Luz said, her eyes widening in excitement.

“Does it involve violence?” Willow covered her mouth with both hands. “I mean, I’m okay with any game as long as it won’t hurt anyone.”  
Luz laughed. “Nah, it’s fun! I mean, I didn’t have a lot of friends back in the human world, so I’ve never had a sleepover to pillow fight in, but it looks like fun. You just jump around and hit each other with pillows!”

“That sounds amazing,” Gus said, a look of utter admiration on his face. “Humans have the coolest rituals.”

“How about you, Amity? You haven’t said anything since we entered the room,” Willow said, giving her an encouraging smile.

“Well, I’m not so sure about the pillow fight, but a game sounds like a good place to start,” Amity said. She was trying not to fiddle with the hem of her shirt the way she always did when she got nervous. What if she said the wrong thing? Why was she so nervous about that?

“We can start with another game, something that’s not so physical. How about Truth or Dare?” Gus suggested.

“You guys play Truth or Dare on the Boiling Isles, too? That’s great! It’s something we can all play,” Luz said. The rest of them nodded in agreement and took their seats near Luz, forming the most circular formation they could.

Luz reached for an empty glass bottle near a dusty trunk by the corner of the room, placing it right in the middle of their formation. “Alright, who wants to spin the bottle?” Luz asked.

“Hostess with the Most...ess, first!” Gus said.

“Alrighty, here it goes!” Luz gave the bottle a spin. They watched it with bated breath as it lost momentum and came to a slow stop, pointing right at Willow. “Truth...or Dare?” Luz asked, wiggling her eyebrows. “What will it be?”

Willow closed her eyes as though she was making a wish, her lips were pressed together in contemplation. “Hmmmm...dare, I guess. I’m feeling adventurous today!”

“Alright...I dare you...to grow a talking plant!” Luz said, clapping her hands together.

Willow laughed. “I can’t really make it talk, that’s a bit too advanced. How about a wiggling plant?”

“Deal.” Luz and Gus seemed to say this at the same time.

“Okie then,” Willow stretched out her hands and closed her eyes. A green glow surrounded her fingers, and she gave one exhale before it shot out of her hands. A plant, no bigger than a book, grew out of Luz’s floorboards and began to wiggle.

Gus and Luz were losing their minds over this, both of them wheezing and clutching their stomachs. Amity couldn’t understand why they found this funny, but she couldn’t help but crack a smile while seeing them so ecstatic over a wiggling plant.

“Amazing! Bravo maestro, bravo!” Gus exclaimed, clapping his hands while his words were still punctuated with giggles.

Willow snapped her fingers, and the plant was surrounded by a green glow before it shrunk and disappeared. “Guess it’s my turn to spin,” she said while pushing her glasses up. Willow gave the bottle a spin, and it pointed to...Luz.

Luz had a funny nervous expression on her face, her mouth quirked into a lopsided grin. Gus and Willow laughed, and Amity found herself joining them. It felt...nice. Sure, they were all laughing at Luz’s goofy expression, and Amity has had her fair share of laughing at people; but it’s been some time since she’s genuinely laughed with people.  
Willow cleared her throat. “Truth or Dare?”

Luz laughed, scratching the back of her head. “Uh, I guess...truth?”

Willow and Gus exchanged mischievous looks, the both of them unable to hide their smiles.

“Okie, Luz. You’ve been in Hexside for nearly a month, so that begs the question: do you have a crush on anyone? Just a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’, really.” Willow said with a wink, which Amity couldn’t quite understand. Was this some inside joke?

A deep scarlet flush crawled up Luz’s face. She pulled her cat hoodie over her head and buried her face into her hands to cover the intense blushing. “I-I don’t know...I’m new…” she stammered.

“Surely there’s someone, Luz. Just a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’,” Willow said in a gentle voice, as though she was coaxing a cat out of its hiding spot.

“Well...there is someone I want to impress. Real bad. I don’t know if that’s a crush. I just think they’re cool,” Luz said, the last statement coming out as more of a mumble.

Amity’s stomach was tying itself into knots. Her chest felt heavy with a disappointment she couldn’t name. So what? Luz liked someone enough to want to impress them. Maybe she had a crush on them. That was none of Amity’s business. It certainly wasn’t her. Why would it be? Cruel, cold, and calculating Amity.

“Thank you for your bravery, Luz,” Gus said, giving a solemn nod and a salute.

“Sorry if we were prying too much,” Willow said, “Gus and I were just curious.”

Luz pulled her hoodie down and gave them a thumbs up. “No worries, I just get easily flustered. You didn’t ask for a name, so I’m good. Now it’s my turn again.” She spun the bottle; they waited as it came to a stop and pointed at Gus.

“Alrighty Gus, Truth or Dare?” Luz asked.

“Truth. I think I can take it.” Gus said.

“What’s one fear you had as a kid that you haven’t overcome?” Luz was smiling now, her chin resting on her hand.

Gus looked at Amity, and now it was his turn to blush. “No fair,” he grumbled, “You and Willow already know this...you’re just asking this ‘cuz Amity is here.”

“It’s only fair, Gus.” Willow said with a shrug, “We were putting Luz on the hot seat earlier.”

“Uuughhh fine. It’s...mascots,” Gus said, hanging his head in shame.

“Mascots?” Amity asked, trying to stifle a laugh. She always knew Gus was much younger than them, a child prodigy in every way, but she still couldn’t wrap her head around the idea of mascots being his greatest fear. She would’ve thought it was failing marks, because that was definitely a fear for most top students (herself included).

“Yeah, like...people dressed in those mascot costumes. They give me the heebie jeebies. They’re literally sentient puppets with lifeless eyes.” Gus shuddered, his expression twisted into a grimace.

“I mean, in fairness, they’re pretty darn scary even back in the human world,” Luz added, giving Gus a reassuring pat on the back.

“Okie, it seems like it’s just Amity who hasn’t played yet for this round. How about we skip the bottle and go right at it,” Willow said.

“Yeah, that sounds good. I’ll be asking the question,” Gus started, “Truth or Dare?”

Amity might play it safer with a dare, but she also didn’t want to expend any energy on doing something like making a plant wiggle. She decided to take the plunge. “Truth,” she replied, her voice softer than she intended.

Willow leaned towards Gus, whispering into his ear. He gave some sage nods and “mhms”. Amity suddenly wished she chose Dare.

“So, Amity. Have you ever had a crush on anyone?” Gus asked.

Amity laughed at the ridiculousness of it. “Hold on, you’re just re-using Luz’s question! Where’s the originality?” She crossed her arms and pressed her lips into a thin line.

“Yeah, well we’re in charge of asking questions and we got one. No one ever said originality was a thing in this game,” Gus gave her a triumphant smile as though he had won an argument.

“Well it’s not a good question, because I have nothing to show for. I never had time for that lovey crush stuff. Not until I graduate as Hexside’s top student and join the Emperor’s Coven.” Amity tried not to look at any of them as she was saying this, opting to gaze at the floor instead. A surge of embarrassment rushed through her; what would Luz and her friends make of it? Her dreams weren’t ridiculous , but hearing herself say those words out loud, she couldn’t help but feel like a wet blanket.

“Well,” Luz started, her voice soft, “I think that’s admirable. You work really hard, and that’s amazing.”

Amity turned to her, and the rush of embarrassment was replaced with something different. Was she flattered? She saw Willow and Gus smiling supportively, nodding along with what Luz had said. Maybe she was, and it startled her. She’s been lavished with praises by adults for being precocious or gifted—some of her peers have made attempts to befriend her only because they feared her or put her on an incredibly high pedestal— but she’s never gotten this sort of genuine validation. It didn’t feel like they saw her as infallible or a cold killjoy. They weren’t putting her on a pedestal without acknowledging the effort she put in. They respected her work ethic. Luz respected her work ethic. She couldn’t help but blush at that last realization.

“Thanks. I know it’s not a fun answer, but...” Amity trailed off, unsure of what else to say.

“It’s honest! We still have another round or so. That means more Truths and Dares for all of us!” Gus said, rubbing his hands together. “Can I spin the bottle?”

The three of them spent another half an hour playing the game (luckily there were no more questions about crushes) until they all decided to end it and head to dinner. Amity couldn’t help but notice that Luz was zoning out at times, looking uncharacteristically tense and pensive. It was hard to tell if she was upset, but there was something else that was bugging Amity. Every time they’d make eye contact, Luz would give a small smile but turn away, never looking at her for long. It was such a small thing, so much so that Amity began to wonder if she was just overthinking things, but it made her stomach tie itself in painful knots anyway.

Other than Luz’s occasional pensive expressions, Amity was actually having fun. Eda wasn’t the best cook, but the food was fine (okay, it was fine until the vegetables started talking and walking away from her plate, because Amity actually liked vegetables). King was growing on her, and she had to admit that he was a pretty adorable...well, whatever he was (she still had difficulty believing he was a demon). They spent a good half of the night telling funny stories (Amity didn’t share much because she couldn’t think of any really funny anecdotes, but she enjoyed listening to stories of the trio’s weird antics). After they all got changed into their pajamas, Willow suggested that they give each other make-overs, pulling out a make-up kit and a box of hair accessories.

“Woah, Willow! You have so many cool accessories! I didn’t take you as the type,” Gus said, his eyes wide with a sort of wonder and disbelief.

“Rude! I do like this stuff, I just get really shy putting it on. The last time I did...well, it didn’t go so well,” Willow’s last few words grew quiet. _Hey, check out plant nerd! Who taught you how to put on make-up, your neon clown flowers?_ Amity could still hear those words escaping from the mouth of one of the girls in their class. She laughed in response to the remark, even if she felt terrible.

“Hey, Willow,” Amity started, picking at her shirtsleeve, “I...I’m sorry about that day. You know, when Clare insulted your make-up.”

“Hey it’s okie, I mean, Clare is a big jerk. You didn’t throw the insult,” Willow gave a small wave, as though she was pushing away Amity’s apology.

“I know, but I laughed. It’s just as bad. The apology is...also for all the other times I made fun of you or looked down on your skills. I was terrible,” Amity couldn’t look at Willow, her voice beginning to crack. “I don’t really know how I can make it up to you. You could tell me, though. If there is some way.”

Willow smiled, taking her hair brush and grabbing a flower pin. “How about you let me do your hair and we’ll call it even.”

Amity simply nodded, making space for Willow to sit down and fix her hair. As Willow began to divide it into sections, Amity felt a lump in her throat as she choked back what felt like a sob. She didn’t know why she deserved Willow’s kindness, let alone her forgiveness. They were friends in their early years, but Amity was so quick to dismiss Willow the moment she got a taste of her powers as a witch (the moment she felt like she was somehow better than her own friend because of it). _It’s no wonder they call you Half a Witch Willow._ Looking back, she knows it was a stupid reason to leave a friend; she always felt as though she needed to push people down to get to the top, only to ask herself if it was worth the broken pieces she’d leave in her wake.

“Ooh! Luz can you do my hair? I want ribbons!” Gus said, reaching for the little ribbon barrettes inside of Willow’s hair accessory box.

Luz sat cross legged behind Gus as she began brushing his hair and adding some red and yellow ribbon barrettes. Amity watched as Luz’s hands moved swiftly while clipping them on—careful enough to glance away every few seconds to stop herself from looking like a creep. Luz eventually realized that Amity’s eyes were on her; she gave her a small smile, that signature dimple etched on one side of her mouth. Amity noticed that she looked less tense and pensive, her body relaxing as she brushed through the rest of Gus’ hair.

“Ta-da! What do you think?” Willow pulled out a hand mirror and held it in front of Amity’s face. Amity’s hair was tied up in low pigtails with red ribbons, the top braided and clipped down with flower barrettes.

“Hey, Willow...you’re pretty good at this,” Amity said, raising her hand up to run her fingers along the intricate braid on her head, “I like it.”

Willow laughed, “Coming from you Amity, that must mean something. Thanks.”

“Okay, now let’s switch partners and do their hair!” Gus said, standing up and pulling Willow to her feet, ushering her to sit in front of him. “Get ready to look amazing! I’ve read about all the coolest and trendiest human style stuff from their culture books.”

“Amity, aren’t you going to do Luz’s hair?” Willow asked.

“There’s really not much to style,” Luz said, ruffling her hair, “It’s not much fun.”

“Nonsense! Amity could give you a full makeover with my make-up kit, too,” Willow replied, giving Amity a thumbs up as Gus brushed her fluffy hair.

Amity stood up and took a seat behind Luz, picking up a flower barrette. “May I?” she asked, showing Luz the clip and trying her best not to stutter from the weird palpitations she was starting to get.

“Okay,” Luz said softly, not really looking at Amity but wearing a smile on her face.

“I wouldn’t mind doing what Willow said, as long as you’re okay with it. I promise I won’t make you look silly, unless that’s what you’re going for,” Amity said, trying to be humorous to compensate for how nervous she felt.

“Alrighty. I mean, I don’t usually put on make-up, so I’d probably look ridiculous if I tried it myself anyways,” Luz replied, “I don’t mind leaving it to someone who knows what she’s doing.”

Amity gave her a smile and proceeded to take out the things she needed from Willow’s make-up kit. She sat in front of Luz, giving herself enough space to get a good view and reach of her face, but not too close—just so she wouldn’t cross any personal boundaries. Whether she was referring to her boundaries or Luz’s, she wasn’t so sure (Luz didn’t seem like the type to build walls the way Amity did).

“Okay, close your eyes,” Amity said, “We’ll try something simple. Let’s start with some eyeshadow.” Luz closed her eyes a little too tightly, her face scrunching up.

“Try closing them lightly, kind of like you’re sleeping,” Amity suggested. Luz laughed and relaxed her face, the wrinkles flattening and disappearing. Amity felt her stomach do those strange twists and turns at the sound of Luz’s laughter. She began to dab the sponge brush on the first color in the eyeshadow palette (a nice light beige shade) and applied it to Luz’s eyelids.

“Heh, that kinda tickles,” Luz chuckled, her eyelids jittery from the contact.

“You’ll get used to it,” Amity said, unable to fight a smile of amusement. She dabbed on the next color (a glittery gold) and applied it onto the innermost area of Luz’s eyelids by the bridge of her nose. Lastly, Amity got a shade of glittery purple and made short but careful dabbing motions on the outer corners of Luz’s eyes, blending it with the gold.

“Okay, now for the eyeliner,” Amity said, setting down the eyeshadow palette and grabbing a stick of liquid eyeliner. “This might feel a little cold and weird, but try not to get your eyelids to jitter or open your eyes. It’s a delicate process.” She twisted and uncapped the eyeliner, getting ready to apply it to Luz’s lids before realizing that she needed to get a little bit closer.

“Alrighty,” Luz said, straightening her back and waiting for Amity to put on the eyeliner.

“Ah, also, do you mind if I move a little closer?” Amity asked. “I need to get a better view and reach to apply it.” Why did her face feel so warm when she said that?

“Oh, okay!” Luz replied, and Amity could’ve sworn there was a hesitant pause before the response. She tried not to think about it, though. She scooted closer to Luz, leaning in and keeping her arms bent and raised, eyeliner tip positioned in the innermost part of Luz’s eyelid. Amity let the brush touch it, moving it in a slow and steady motion, following the curve of Luz’s eye and ending it with an expert upwards stroke. She did the same on Luz’s other eye; there was that familiarity from following the curvature of her own eyes on a daily basis, and yet it still managed to feel like stepping into foreign territory, something that pushed her to be extra careful.

“Okay, you can open your eyes,” Amity said, grabbing a hand mirror and raising it so Luz could see her reflection. Luz stared at her reflection, her eyes widening but the rest of her expression indiscernible. “Well, what do you think?” Amity pressed on, worried that she might’ve messed it up.

“It’s so pretty,” Luz said in a voice that was barely a whisper. “Is that really me? I mean...like I said, I don’t usually put on make-up, but wow. Amity...you made me look pretty.”

“You are pretty,” Amity felt the words rush out before she could start her brain-to-mouth filter. At that moment, she wished she could cast the darkest lip locking spell possible. Why did she say that? I mean, she really did think Luz was pretty, but she didn’t understand why. She didn’t look anything like their kind, who’s standards was she basing this on?

Luz stared at her for a few seconds before focusing her gaze on the ground with a nervous smile. Amity cleared her throat, quickly grabbing the lipstick from Willow’s kit.

“I mean, everyone is pretty. Gus, Willow, King,” Amity said, hoping that she could cover up that stupid remark which probably made Luz extremely uncomfortable, but realizing that she was replacing it with something that sounded just as weird and out of place. “Now let’s finish up with some lipstick,” she continued, trying her best to keep her voice even.

“Thanks,” Luz said, adjusting the barrette on her hair and returning her gaze back to Amity.

“No worries. Now I just need you to pucker up a bit so I can apply this.” Amity uncapped the lipstick, which was a shade of brownish red. Luz did as she said, and Amity leaned in to apply the lipstick starting at Luz’s cupid’s bow and guiding it across the rest of the outer sections in gentle swiping motions, then moving to her lower lip to start the same process. Amity felt the flush return to her face, her stomach doing quick flips and twists. They were so close right now, and she could see Luz’s eyes in more detail than she’d ever seen them: warm like honey or the sap on a tree that trapped insects in amber, and right at that moment, she felt like one of those insects. She finished filling up the last spot on Luz’s lips, returning the lipstick into the kit and pulling out a piece of tissue.

“Alright,” Amity said, her throat feeling unusually tight, “Now we just have to blot this out a bit. Just put this between your lips and kind of close them.” She handed Luz the piece of tissue and watched her follow her instructions. The tissue now had the imprint of Luz’s lipstick, which elicited a giggle from her.

“Wow, it’s like a footprint. Lip...print,” Luz said with a chuckle. Amity laughed at that, once again succumbing to Luz’s weird but strangely endearing sense of humor.

“Alright, now you can see the finished look,” Amity said, lifting the mirror once more so Luz could see herself.

“Wow, this shade looks great,” Luz said, her fingers hovering over her lips. She looked at Amity with her usual goofy smile. “Thanks. I don’t know if I’d be able to pull this off, but it’s fun seeing myself all dolled up like this.”

“It’s a good look on you Luz,” Willow said.

“Yeah! You look ready for a party,” Gus said, his hands still busy braiding Willow’s hair.

Luz was blushing now, one hand on her cheek as though she could cover it up somehow. Amity smiled, her stomach doing more crazy flips and twists.

After Gus had given Willow her make-over, they all took a couple of silly photos. Willow was good at looking cute, Gus had this fierce look, and Luz opted to place a hand on Amity’s shoulder while casting what she called a “peace sign”. Amity found that it wasn’t so hard to smile for the camera like it usually was.

Once they got themselves cleaned up from the make-overs, Gus insisted that they push through with the pillow fight so he could finally cross it off of his Human Rituals bucket list. Luz led the way, grabbing a pillow and hitting Gus with a fervent laugh. Gus hit her back, jumping around with glee and squealing as he hit Willow. Amity felt a soft push behind her back and turned to see Luz wearing a mischievous grin. She felt the usual weird twists in her gut, but there was also her competitive fire springing to life. The frenzy had begun, all of them laughing as they dodged pillow swings and quickly moved to whack one another. Willow was the first one to tire out, flopping on Luz’s futon as her laughter died and got replaced with small snores. Gus joined suit, collapsing next to Willow with a smile and falling asleep right after (but not before saying “Man, that was AMAZING! Humans are crazy fun!”).

“It seems like Gus and Willow took your futon,” Amity whispered, looking at Luz with a smile of amusement, “Do you have extras for us?”

Luz gave her a thumbs up, tip toeing over her sleeping friends and making her way to the room’s closet. She opened it, and Amity could hear her sifting through a number of things before she saw Luz pull out a rolled up futon.

“Oh no. I don’t think...we have any more futons…” Luz trailed off as she continued to sift through the closet’s contents.

“Maybe you can ask Eda if there are any more in the house?” Amity felt a surge of panic rush into her system. This can’t possibly be the last futon.  
Luz looked at the door, her lips pressed into a thin line. “Erm, well it’s a little too late to be waking Eda up. I don’t want to disturb her.”

“Oh, right,” Amity said, “Sorry, I didn’t realize. I guess, I mean if you don’t mind the lack of space, we could...share? I promise I’ll turn the other way, and I don’t move too much in my sleep.” The last sentence came out a little rushed, and she was fighting the urge to kick herself at the proposition alone.

“Yeah, that sounds fine. Sorry about the inconvenience, I should’ve double checked if we had enough,” Luz replied, giving her an apologetic smile before pulling out an extra pillow from the closet. “Found this! Now we’ve each got our own pillows.” Luz curled up in her futon, leaving enough space for Amity.

“Should I turn the lights off?” Amity asked. She was hoping Luz would say “no”, because she was quite scared of the dark. A pathetic trait for a witch, but there wasn’t much she could do about it.

“Yeah, not so scared of the dark,” Luz replied while fluffing her pillow.

“Ah...okay.” Amity walked towards the switch, her fingers hovering over it for just a little longer.

“Just in case, I’ve got a little owl-shaped night light, so we can turn that on,” Luz said, somehow reading her mind.

Amity breathed a sigh of relief through her nose and made her way to the owl night light, turning it on before going back to switch the lights off. She walked back to the futon, curling up next to Luz but making sure to leave half an arm’s length of space between them, turning around for good measure. The last thing she wanted was to get too close (this whole situation felt like it was pushing her limits). She felt something soft envelop her, and she turned her head to find Luz pulling a blanket over the both of them, leaning in to get a better reach, her face too close for comfort. Her stomach was churning and tying itself into knots for what felt like the hundredth time. Amity really couldn’t escape whatever this was.

“S-sorry, just thought you’d want a blanket,” Luz said, her voice laced with an almost imperceptible shakiness which made Amity think she had somehow imagined it.

“Thanks,” Amity replied, a warm flush crawling up her face (it was so warm and she worried Luz would somehow feel it emanating from her). There was silence as they both turned around to face the opposite directions. Amity was determined not to move an inch for the rest of the night.

“Hey, Amity,” Luz said in a whisper that broke the quiet, “I’m sorry for that day Willow and I cheated in Abomination class. You worked really hard to be Top Student, and we just came in and got you into trouble.”

Amity could feel a weight shifting on the futon, and she turned around to find Luz facing her, still half an arm’s distance away. Her heart was ramming against her chest so violently, she thought it would pierce through.

“Hey, apology accepted,” Amity said, her throat feeling constricted as she tried to find more words to say. “I mean, you do have the propensity of getting yourself into trouble and somehow dragging me along, but I’ve been mean as well. I apologized to Willow, but not to you,” she took a pause to gather the rest of her thoughts which were as jumbled as her insides and racing as fast as her heart, “I’m not very good at swallowing my pride, but I’m learning to. I’m sorry, Luz. For all the terrible things I’ve said...and everything else I did that hurt you.”

The quiet returned, enveloping them like the blanket they were both sharing. It didn’t feel cold, just comfortable, like the morning after a storm. Amity waited for Luz’s response, looking into those eyes of hers that still managed to look warm and bright even in the semi-darkness of the room. Luz was smiling, gazing at Amity with an intensity that made her want to look away but trapped her in that sweet amber like an insect.

“Apology accepted,” Luz whispered, giving Amity that dimpled smile; she wouldn’t mind swallowing her pride again and again if it meant that Luz would look at her like this. The space between them wasn’t half of arm’s length anymore, and Amity could make out the fine details of Luz’s eyelashes and the soft strands of her hair pressed against the pillow. She couldn’t understand why she wanted to reach out, so she fought the urge to.

It was strange. Amity had never slept this close to anyone other than her older siblings. Sleeping was such a vulnerable position, and the threat of being in such close proximity with anyone usually made her very weary of crowds or any kind of get-together with people. This felt natural though, even if her stomach twisted realizing she could feel Luz’s exhales on the tip of her nose. Luz’s eyes seemed to be growing heavy, slowly blinking until they simply stayed shut; before that, Amity heard a soft “good night” escape her lips like air.

“Goodnight,” Amity whispered back, though she knew Luz couldn’t hear her. She gazed at Luz’s sleeping face for a little longer until her eyelids started feeling heavy as well.

***

The next morning, Amity had awoken to find that she had in fact (and as promised) not moved much from the night before. However, a panic started flooding her chest as she realized how much Luz had shifted her sleeping position: she had her face buried into Amity’s shoulder with an arm wrapped around her waist, holding onto her the way one would a stuffed toy. She felt Luz’s steady breathing which matched the rising and falling of her chest, and turned her head slightly to find that Gus and Willow were still fast asleep. Panic aside, Amity thought the weight felt...strangely soothing. However, this seemed to be a level of closeness that she knew she didn’t deserve (and she didn’t want Luz to wake up feeling embarrassed to find herself in such a position with Amity of all people). She took hold of Luz’s forearm, and with as much care as she could without waking her, moved it away from her own waist. Amity moved a little farther away from Luz, bringing back the half and arm’s distance they’d established. Staring at the ceiling, it felt a little colder without that warmth and weight, but she tried not to think about that. In any case, it was a pretty great sleepover.


End file.
